REINFORCED BEHAVIOR

We often wonder what motivates a dog to do what she does. At Bark Busters we understand that dogs repeat behavior which produces, from the dog’s perspective, positive outcomes. For example, a frenzied dog chased her tail in circles each time the postman came to the door. Doing so always succeeded in limiting the perceived invasion to noise and some harmless letters and magazines – the mailman himself always retreated.

The dog may also sense that she is doing the job her owners want her to do. Often clients greet me, or a Bark Busters colleague, at the door holding their little terrier in their arms. The terrier is barking furiously. This is stressful for all three of us – but especially for client and dog. Dogs respond to fear with fight or flight – a dog held in one’s arms no longer sees flight as a possibility and believes that anxious posturing wards off aggression on the part of the scary visitors her owner is “asking” her to confront.

When encountering another dog during a walk, some clients try to make their fearful dog sit, in order to avoid her lunging and snapping at the other dog. In this situation as well flight is not an option; she believes the owner is too slow. By asking the dog to sit, the owner has asked the dog to show submission in the face of a threat. Not only is this suggesting a tactic that makes no sense to the dog, it is also validating her sense that the threat is something unusual that requires a strategic response.

For a dog, ignoring distractions is more dominant than responding to them. Teaching the dog to ignore the perceived threat in these situations promotes the dog’s stature. Dogs learn easily that postmen don’t enter uninvited, that humans are quite willing to decide if a visitor is welcome, even without the dogs vote, and that we can safely ignore passing dogs. Teaching the dog to do so relieves stress for all the actors, human and canine.

Please send your dog training questions to Peter Levy at: midpeninsula@barkbusters .com

Preparing Your Dog or Puppy for a Visit to the Veterinarian

Preparing Your Dog or Puppy for a Visit to the Veterinarian

By Gail Chadbourne

Visiting your veterinarian is essential to keeping your dog healthy and happy, and it is an important part of being a responsible pet owner. However, Bark Busters trainers know that a routine checkup can sometimes be distressing to our canine companions.

When you consider what a vet visit entails, you can begin to appreciate why your dog may become so overwhelmed and (sometimes) hard to control. Not only will he encounter dozens of new smells, but he may also hear barking dogs, meowing cats and strange voices. He may be handled by vet staff in unfamiliar ways that could add to his apprehension.

Help your dog feel more relaxed and even enjoy his vet visits by following these tips:

· Take the dog to the vet clinic for brief visits prior to your appointment. Introduce him to the clinic when it’s quiet to get him used to the smells and sounds of the new environment so it won’t be entirely strange to him when you actually go for the exam. Let him meet the wonderful people who work there; have the staff give him a treat and place him on a scale; and allow him to sniff the exam room. A few visits like this will help him to associate the vet clinic with a positive experience.

· At home, during quiet times, you can help your dog become comfortable with being handled for a medical examination. Gently pat him on different areas of his body while he is in a relaxed state. Mimic how the vet will examine your dog—touch around his eyes and ears, gently hold his feet and toes (which also helps alleviate his fear of nail clipping), lift his lips and touch his teeth, gently move his legs, etc. Take your time with this kind of touch, and do it often so that it becomes an agreeable experience for your dog both at home and at the vet.

· Some dogs never go anywhere in the car except to the vet. Thus, a dog may begin to associate a car ride with visiting the vet and may begin to worry the moment you put him in the car. To prevent this anxiety, do some practice drives. Take him somewhere fun, so he learns that a ride in the car can end in a pleasurable destination.

· Exercise your dog before the vet visit. Bark Busters trainers know that a tired dog is more relaxed and easier to manage.

· Throughout the visit, stay relaxed and unconcerned. Your dog can sense your feelings, and you need to remain calm so he can feel calm. Remember, your dog looks to you for his safety and security.

· Bark Busters suggests that you keep your pet on a short leash while in the waiting area, and maintain control of him throughout your visit to avoid any stress, injury or altercations with other pets. If he shows any signs of aggression toward dogs or humans, be sure to have him muzzled for everyone’s safety.

· If you have a small dog, take him into the clinic in his carrier. He’ll feel more comfortable being in his familiar space, with his blanket, toys, etc.

· After the vet visit, take your dog somewhere fun to play and to reward him.

Your veterinarian and clinic staff will also appreciate you taking the time to ensure your dog is calm and comfortable during his visit.

Gail Chadbourne is a dog behavioral therapist and trainer with Bark Busters, the world’s largest dog training company. She works with clients and their dogs at clients’ homes in Alameda, Castro Valley, Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont, San Leandro, and San Lorenzo.

Bark Busters of the Bay Area works with clients and their dogs at clients’ homes in Alameda, Alamo, Albany, Alviso, American Canyon, Atherton, Belmont, Belvedere, Benicia, Berkeley, Bodega Bay, Bolinas, Booneville, Brisbane, Burlingame, Calistoga, Campbell, Castro Valley, Cazadero, Clear Lake, Clear Lake Oaks, Cloverdale, Concord, Corte Madera, Crockett, Cupertino, Daly City, Danville, Dublin, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Fairfax, Forest Knolls, Forestville, Foster City, Fremont, Fort Bragg, Fulton, Geyserville, Gilroy, Glen Ellen, Greenbrae, Gualala, Guerneville, Half Moon Bay, Hayward, Healdsburg, Inverness, Jenner, Kelseyville, Kentfield, La Honda, Lafayette. Lakeport, Larkspur, Laytonville, Leggett, Livermore, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Marshall, Martinez, Mendocino, Menlo Park, Middletown, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Milpitas, Montara, Monte Rio, Moraga, Moss Beach, Mountain View, Napa, Newark. Nicasio, Novato, Oakland, Occidental, Orinda, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Petaluma, Piedmont, Pinole, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Portola Valley, Point Reyes Station, Redwood City, Richmond, Rodeo, Rohnert Park, Ross, Salinas, San Anselmo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Quentin, San Rafael, San Ramon, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Saratoga, Sausalito, Sebastopol, Sonoma, South San Francisco, Saint Helena, Stanford, Stinson Beach, Sunnyvale, Tiburon, Tomales, Ukiah, Union City, Upper Lake, Vallejo, Walnut Creek, Windsor and Woodacre

How Dog’s Learn, How Dog’s Teach: A Woefully Inadequate Tribute to Jocko, A Lover not a Fighter who will Live Always in our Memories

How Dog’s Learn, How Dog’s Teach: A Woefully Inadequate Tribute to Jocko,

A Lover not a Fighter who will Live Always in our Memories

Peter Levy, Master Dog Trainer, Mid-peninsula Bark Busters

Dogs learn by trial and error and association. They repeat any behavior that receives positive reinforcement. They teach us by seizing on any positive (from their perspective) response we show to their behavior.

When Jocko first showed signs of the progressive arthritis that made his last days a misery, full of pratfalls and challenges in getting back up, we got him a metal food stand. He watched with ever-present curiosity as stand and bowl were mated. It probably took all of ten seconds before he sniffed, concluded that my misspent efforts had produced no food, and batted the bowl with his paw. The bowl moved a few inches in response. Next he batted the rim rhythmically. The bowl began spinning, it made a heck of a racket!

Had I been a more empathetic human being (such as, for example, my wife), I might have told myself “oh, the poor dear is hungry” and filled the bowl. That outcome would have fulfilled his not –manipulative-but-dazzlingly-effective effort to teach me that when I heard the noise, he intended that I fill the bowl. Had I filled the bowl, my family would have been treated to that racket dozens of times a day. Because I didn’t do so, he limited bowl-spinning to a half-hearted -- let's just see what this may produce --once or twice a year exercise.

A Bark Busters client’s dog in Burlingame provided a less edifying example of teaching humans and of learning by association. A toy breed dog with a fearful temperament, who, we may surmise, dreaded being stroked and/or picked up by a succession of strangers at his front door, had developed a surefire and effective way of teaching visitors that he didn’t want them to touch him. He urinated on the shoe of each new arrival. While most humans would not view the dismay, yelling and chastisement that followed as a positive outcome, the dog always achieved his teaching objective without fail. Nobody invaded his space.

Your local Bark Buster Dog Trainer would be more than happy to provide you with more information regarding your exact issue. Please click here

Peter Levy is a Master Dog Trainer and Behavioral Therapist with Bark Busters Home Dog Training, which received the SPCA International’s “ Best of the Best” designation. He works with clients and their dogs at clients’ homes in Atherton, Belmont, Brisbane, Burlingame, Campbell, Cupertino, Daly City, Foster City, Half Moon Bay, Hillsborough, La Honda, Los Altos, Menlo Park, Millbrae, Montara, Moss Beach, Mountain View, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Portola Valley, Princeton, Redwood City, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Jose, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Saratoga, South San Francisco, Stanford, and Sunnyvale.

Bark Busters of the Bay Area works with clients and their dogs at clients’ homes in Alameda, Alamo, Albany, Alviso, American Canyon, Atherton, Belmont, Belvedere, Benicia, Berkeley, Bodega Bay, Bolinas, Booneville, Brisbane, Burlingame, Calistoga, Campbell, Castro Valley, Cazadero, Clear Lake, Clear Lake Oaks, Cloverdale, Concord, Corte Madera, Crockett, Cupertino, Daly City, Danville, Dublin, El Cerrito, El Sobrante, Emeryville, Fairfax, Forest Knolls, Forestville, Foster City, Fremont, Fort Bragg, Fulton, Geyserville, Gilroy, Glen Ellen, Greenbrae, Gualala, Guerneville, Half Moon Bay, Hayward, Healdsburg, Inverness, Jenner, Kelseyville, Kentfield, La Honda, Lafayette. Lakeport, Larkspur, Laytonville, Leggett, Livermore, Los Altos, Los Gatos, Lower Lake, Lucerne, Marshall, Martinez, Mendocino, Menlo Park, Middletown, Mill Valley, Millbrae, Milpitas, Montara, Monte Rio, Moraga, Moss Beach, Mountain View, Napa, Newark. Nicasio, Novato, Oakland, Occidental, Orinda, Pacifica, Palo Alto, Petaluma, Piedmont, Pinole, Pleasant Hill, Pleasanton, Portola Valley, Point Reyes Station, Redwood City, Richmond, Rodeo, Rohnert Park, Ross, Salinas, San Anselmo, San Bruno, San Carlos, San Francisco, San Jose, San Leandro, San Mateo, San Pablo, San Quentin, San Rafael, San Ramon, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Santa Rosa, Saratoga, Sausalito, Sebastopol, Sonoma, South San Francisco, Saint Helena, Stanford, Stinson Beach, Sunnyvale, Tiburon, Tomales, Ukiah, Union City, Upper Lake, Vallejo, Walnut Creek, Windsor and Woodacre